Saturday, February 03, 2007 Sayson: Suns blast Spurs By Homer Sayson Secondovertime
CHICAGO - For the visiting San Antonio Spurs, the idea was to keep the game simple. Control the boards, dictate the tempo, and limit the opposition to one field goal per possession.
Playing the Suns at the US Airways Arena in Phoenix last night, the Spurs executed their game plan as best they could.
Although they didn’t shoot particularly well, they jumped to an early 14-3 start and took a slim 53-50 halftime lead. They watched the Suns drop a 15-3 third quarter bomb and still managed to trail only by two entering the fourth quarter, 72-70.
Both teams fought furiously in the final quarter, exchanging mini-runs that saw the lead swing like an aberrant pendulum. And when Tony Parker drilled a jumper that put San Antonio to within 85-84, time down to 5:22, the Spurs were poised for a big road kill.
But the Suns were far from done. They had one good run left in them. And this time— conspired by Boris Diaw, Steve Nash and Leandro Barbosa— the 10-1 blow was mortal. When the smoke cleared, Phoenix raced ahead to 95-85 advantage with 2:22 left to play.
The hard-earned 103-87 victory put the Suns back on the winning track after their season-best and franchise record 17-game win-streak was snapped Monday night in Minnesota. The Suns improved to 37-9, a half game behind the NBA-leading 38-9 Mavs. It was the Spurs’ second straight loss. They dropped a 97-93 decision to the Jazz in Utah the other night. But San Antonio coach Gregg Poppovich insisted that road weariness had nothing to do with last night’s debacle.
“I don’t think we were worn out. They played better than us. They made some shots down the stretch,” Poppovich said.
But based on their poor shooting, the Spurs appeared like a very tired team. They made just 32 of 83 field goals for 38.6 percent. They missed 18 of 24 free throws and they were badly beaten off the boards, 51-42.
Manu Ginobli led the Spurs with 32 points off the bench. But he was awful from the field, 12 of 22. Parker was far better off, 20 points on 9-of-18 shooting. Tim Duncan finished with 20 points and 18 rebounds, but the Suns defense collapsed on him late, forcing the 7-foot forward to clank 12 of his 18 shots. Phoenix looked average on the stats sheet. They made only 37 of 84 shots (44 percent) and 6-of-16 treys (37.5 percent). But the Suns got a monster effort from Amare Stoudemire, who continues to blossom following microfracture knee surgery that sidelined him last season. The 6-foot-10 Stoudemire had 24 points and a career-high 23 rebounds. He shot 9-of-18 from the field.
Nash was relatively quiet with 13 points, but his steady hands and 11 assists guided the offense. Leandro Barbosa had another good night off the bench with 25, while Boris Diaw and Shawn Marion combined for 28.
Spurs versus Suns will be fun to watch in the postseason. San Antonio has owned the rivalry thus far, but if last night were a gauge, it looks like the Spurs are losing grip. They don’t have an answer against the Suns’ running attack that is so lethal and multi-dimensional. Does this mean I’m giving up on my beloved Spurs? No, not yet. But this is a very worried maybe.
RISING UP. Last night’s Heat-Cavs game in Miami was a tale of two stars. One shrunk under pressure, while another thrived.
With just 1:02 remaining in a hotly-contested match, LeBron James went to the free throw line for the lead. He missed both. In the ensuing possession, Dwyane Wade went through the heart of the Cavs defense and made a difficult shot, plus a foul.
Wade then coolly sank the bonus as Miami went on to win, 92-89. Wade finished with 41 points to offset 12 turnovers. He had 24 in the fourth quarter, where the Heat rallied from 12 down. He also made 23 of 24 free throws.
As for LeBron, well, let’s hold on to the Michael Jordan comparisons for now. He has struggled in key moments of tight games lately and he is shooting only 68 percent of his free throws.
